The Story of the Wayfinder and the Ocean Dragon
by The Myth Rider
Summary: A ficlet for OCWatch Week 2017 Day 5: Listening, Theme A: Story


Ever since she became one of the best doctors of her field, Angela Ziegler was able to proudly and truthfully claim that she had not been sick in years. With help from both her suit, and her skills, she knew all too well how to guard herself from illness. Hell, Angela knew the triggers to the point she could even prevent the _early onset signs_ of an ailment.

So imagine her frustration at falling victim to the common cold.

Though the brunette would never say it aloud, Nikolai actually thought a sick Angela was kind of cute. The way she was almost perpetually pouting, and how the pout only got fiercer in the wake of a sneeze or two. The way the blonde tried to growl in irritation after she blew her nose, only to upset her throat and cough. But most of all, the way she would curl up in a fluffy blanket on the couch as she watched something on the TV.

It was kind of precious, and Nikolai was for once thankful that Overwatch was disbanded, and that their missions nowadays were off-grid and unofficial. For that meant not having to ask Morrison for permission to take sick leave, but instead just outright tell him: _"Don't even try calling Angela in, Morrison. She's sick, I'm taking care of her, so just fuck off and call someone else in."_

Now _that_ was a satisfying call, so much so Nikolai's usual anxiety against them was nullified.

Though there wasn't much one could do to alleviate a cold—other than take medicine, vitamin C rich supplements, and various other healthy additions—there was one special thing Nikolai liked to do when Angela wasn't feeling up to snuff. Before Talon's attempt at ruining Nikolai's life, she'd once been an excellent storyteller who dreamt of publishing her own writings. But not even their tries at breaking her succeeded in killing the storyteller, not in the slightest.

So it was that on a day where Angela seemed like she lost her fight, and was almost pathetically lying on the couch, that Nikolai decided to make her move. She walked up to the couch, glancing down at her poor _anjo_ before glancing up at the TV. It was playing a rerun of something she didn't recognize, and the brunette got the feeling Angela was only watching it out of last resort. Without a shred of hesitation, Nikolai waved her hand, bringing up the control panel for the television, and shutting it off.

The moment Angela registered seeing herself in a black screen instead of the show that'd previously been playing, she scowled. "Nikolai! I was watching that."

Nikolai smirked and shook her head. "No, you weren't. You were just trying to distract yourself from your cold as much as possible, rather than think about it and get upset again."

An annoyed huff sounded as the blonde tried to hide deeper in the blanket, and Nikolai's smirk turned into a soft smile as she looked down at Angela. She turned towards the couch and leaned down, reaching with two arms to pry her girlfriend off and up. At first there was resistance, but it quickly faded and Nikolai managed to sit down, letting Angela lay on her lap instead. As the brunette expected, Angela immediately hummed in content, snuggling just a bit out of the blanket and closer to her girlfriend.

Nikolai gently ran her fingers through soft blonde hair, inciting another content hum. "Meu anjo, would you like to hear a story?"

Angela responded instantly, turning around to face Nikolai whilst still laying on her lap, and nuzzled against her as she nodded as vigorously as her congested head would comfortably allow.

Nikolai smiled, waiting a beat to think of what to tell before beginning.

* * *

 _A long, long time ago, before all of mankind mastered crossing the seas and going to other lands, there was a people in the Pacific who'd done it before anyone else. They called themselves Wayfinders, and they were as at home on the open ocean as they were on land, if not more so. They travelled from island to island, inventing means of navigating the ocean that were not only highly effective, but so unique it quickly became a part of their culture._

 _The Water loved them dearly, always watching them as they crossed it with joy, getting just as excited when they found a new island as the Wayfinders did. The Water had a close relationship with the Mother of Islands, and they both dearly cherished the Wayfinders; one making more islands for them to find, while the other watched and shepherded them on their path. It was a beautiful dynamic that lasted for a thousand years._

 _One day, on one of the islands, a Wayfinder village was enjoying a bright, sunny morning. The chieftain of this particular group had a daughter, a young girl barely two years old. This little, innocent warrior, loved the ocean very much despite being so young. On this particular day, her parents were distracted and she wandered away, heading straight for the beach._

* * *

Angela lifted her head up, brow furrowed in concern. "On her own? Isn't that dangerous, being so little?"

Nikolai gave her a crooked smile and shook her head. "Hold your horses, Angie; this is a happy story to make you feel better, don't go running down paths without me now."

The blonde blushed and buried her face back in the blanket, nodding for Nikolai to continue.

* * *

 _The little toddler waddled straight for the water line, stopping at where the tide tickled the sand. She stood there, smiling at the water and giggling at it, when she noticed there was a bright and colorful shell sitting just within reach. The little girl squealed with delight, and she made to retrieve the shell. But the loud, predatory caw of an ocean bird stopped her in her tracks, drawing her attention back to the treeline._

 _There, hiding in the bushes as several birds stalked it from the air, was a baby turtle that had no doubt just hatched not long ago. The poor thing cowered in the bushes, for every time it bravely lifted a flipper to make its way to the water, it would immediately pull back as a bird threatened it._

* * *

Nikolai felt Angela stiffen in her lap, in spite of her previous reassurances, and soothingly rubbed her shoulder.

* * *

 _The little girl saw this, and for one so young found herself in a dilemma as she glanced back at the colorful shell. It was just sitting there, and before long a wave would come from the surf and steal it away. But with a defiant little sound, the toddler turned away from the shell and waddled her way to the treeline. There, she used all her toddler strength to tear off a tree's frond, and used it to shield the baby sea turtle from sun and bird as she guided it to the surf. The birds tried their best to take the baby turtle for themselves regardless, but the toddler had a warrior's heart and defended the other little one valiantly._

 _The most adorable of war cries sounding as one bird got far too close, nearly succeeding in taking the turtle, only to drop it at the little girl's threat. The poor turtle found itself stuck on its back after the skirmish, but the little warrior wasted no time in gently helping it back onto its flippers. The rest of the escort went comparatively quietly, as little girl and little turtle made it to the surf. As the sea turtle joyfully swam its way out, the little girl watched with a smile and a giggle, proud of herself and the little turtle._

* * *

Angela sighed happily, but when she opened her mouth to thank Nikolai for the story, the brunette cut her off by ruffling her bangs.

"Not done yet, _meu anjo_."

* * *

 _Many years later, when the innocent warrior was a grown young woman of sixteen, she found herself in a perilous predicament._

 _While out wayfinding on her own, a sudden storm appeared in her path, leaving her with no time to go around. The storm was cruel and merciless, dropping soaking sheets of rain, tossing blinding lances of lightning, and letting loose deafening blasts of thunder. The Water, as much as it loathed harming the Wayfinders, found its waves roiling in the storm's influence, tossing the young woman's boat around._

 _It took all of her strength to keep her canoe upright in the face of the storm's wrath, but as if she was targeted by a foul-mooded deity, it was for naught. A great wave struck her and her boat, turning it on its head and leaving her gasping for breath alongside it. Yet another ruthless wave struck, and the girl was beneath the waves and sinking to her death._

* * *

"Nikole…" Angela gave her girlfriend a fierce pout, but Nikolai's smile did not falter as she continued unhindered.

* * *

 _The young girl fought, but could not keep the black at bay, and found herself passing out in the Water's embrace. But the Water didn't want her to die, especially not in its own arms like this. It refused to let one of its favored drown in such a lonely, tragic storm. So it summoned the only thing it could think to summon to save the innocent warrior._

 _Rising from the deep, faster than a shark, was a large turtle-like leviathan that made straight for the sinking form of the young woman. It opened its great beak, revealing a fearsome reptilian maw. The teeth of this maw retracted into the gums, and the beast gently grabbed the girl in its now gummy mouth. As quickly as it could without causing harm to the young woman, the leviathan made for the surface._

 _Once there, it slipped the girl into its enormous, spiky shell, for unlike sea turtles it had plenty of wiggle room within._

 _What felt but moments later for the girl, but turned out to be several minutes, she awoke to find herself in a cave. It was clearly a cave along a beach, for bright sunlight was visible outside, and where there was not rock outcropping, there was startlingly clear turquoise water. The young woman thought herself dead, for she had just been in the depths of the ocean drowning not long ago._

 _Then she heard an insistent growl, so deep she thought it was moving rocks. She turned and immediately gasped, for behind her sat the beast whom was her rescuer. The young woman recognized it as an ocean dragon, one that strikingly resembled a turtle, and behind it she even spotted its currently empty shell. The beast lowered its head down to her, regarding her intensely, and out of curiousity than anything she returned its gaze._

 _Then the dragon smiled, the hair like spikes on its head rustling as if it was excited. At first, the young woman was confused, until the dragon began lifting its arms like a turtle crawling along the sand. The fact that the dragon's arms had large fins coming off, looking just like a sea turtles, helped._

 _Then it hit her, so suddenly she didn't even have the air to gasp._

 _Before her was the once baby sea turtle she'd rescued as a toddler, the creature having apparently been blessed by the gods to be a dragon since last they'd met._

 _The dragon smiled at her, and she smiled back._

 _The innocent warriors had found each other once again, and the Water couldn't have been more glad._

* * *

Angela hummed happily, but a sleep undertone was very apparent to Nikolai as she looked down at her now drowsy girlfriend.

"That was…" The blonde interrupted herself with a yawn. "That was a lovely story, _mein drachen_ …"

Nikolai smiled and stroked Angela's hair, inciting another happy hum. " _De nada, meu anjo._ Now rest, you know you need it."

Though she didn't necessarily object, the blonde frowned up at her girlfriend…with still closed eyes. "Do you need up, first…?"

The brunette chuckled, rubbing Angela's back as well. "No, I'm fine right here. You're already comfortable, and I can just watch reruns if I should get bored. But you need to nap."

Angela hummed once more, this one lasting long until she had clearly fallen asleep. Nikolai just smiled down at her angel, feeling very proud of herself.


End file.
